Colorful
by Rainwatch
Summary: Sequel to Claws and Coltsfoot. What happens when a tiny, sickly kit is charged with stopping a war?
1. Allegiances and Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Warriors or any of its concepts, characters, etc.

 **A/N:** This is the sequel to Claws and Coltsfoot, and it takes place about a moon after the last chapter. You don't have to have read Claws and Coltsfoot ahead of time, but if you get a chance, please check it out! Reviewers are what keep me going!

* * *

 **IceClan**

 **Leader:** Lionstar - golden tomcat with unusually long fangs

 **Deputy:** Frozenwhisker - pale silver tabby with hints of blue in his fur and light green eyes

 **Medicine Cat:** Nightclaw - dusty black tom with bright green eyes

 **Warriors:**

Junipercloud - pale brown she-cat with bright, almost purplish blue eyes

Hailclaw - blue-gray she-cat with bluish green eyes (Apprentice: Sparrowpaw)

Spiderfur - jet-black she-cat with pale gray-green eyes (Apprentice: Hawkpaw)

Silverheart- pale gray tom (Apprentice: Tawnypaw)

Palefang - pale, creamy tom with a fierce glare (Apprentice: Dustpaw)

 **Apprentices:**

Sparrowpaw - dark orangish tabby with yellow-green eyes

Hawkpaw - brown tabby with a tawny underside and green eyes; Sparrowpaw's brother

Tawnypaw - tawny tabby with yellow-green eyes; Sparrowpaw's sister

Dustpaw - brown tabby; Sparrowpaw's brother

 **Queens and Kits:**

Snowflame - snowy white she-cat with warm amber eyes

Dappledkit - white she-cat with a ginger tabby tail and yellow eyes; Snowflame's daughter

Swiftkit - dark brown tabby tom with green eyes; Snowflame's son

Thornkit - orange-and-brown tortoiseshell with one white paw and green eyes; Snowflame's daughter

Grayfeather - tall gray tabby she-cat; expecting Frozenwhisker's kits

 **Elders:**

Poppytail - shaky, cream-and-gray she-cat

* * *

 **EmberClan**

 **Leader:** Rainstar - fluffy gray she-cat with pale bluish eyes

 **Deputy:** Gorseclaw - golden tom with green eyes

 **Medicine Cats:**

Heatherleaf - pale brown, orange-tinted she-cat with yellow eyes

Hollypaw - dark gray tom with amber eyes

 **Warriors:**

Ravenwing - midnight black tom with strange blue eyes, a white chest, and one white paw

Mothflame - amber-eyed, chestnut-furred she-cat

Falconpelt - moony, chestnut-furred she-cat; Mothflame's sister

Briarfang - cranky brown she-cat with green eyes; Mothflame's sister

Copperclaw - reddish tomcat with golden eyes

Cinderstripe - ashy gray she-cat with bright, inquisitive green eyes

Ferntail - dark orange she-cat with pale green eyes; Cinderstripe's sister

Smokecloud - tall, lanky gray tomcat with a black tail-tip (Apprentice: Flintpaw)

Nightheart - yellow-eyed, black-furred she-cat (Apprentice: Ivypaw)

Shadowstep - black she-cat with green eyes and white paws

Stormwind - gray tom with swirly tabby markings; Shadowstep's brother

 **Apprentices:**

Ivypaw - brown tabby tom

Flintpaw - dark gray she-cat

 **Queens and Kits:**

Amberfoot - friendly orange she-cat with pale amber eyes

Crowkit - black she-cat; Ravenwing and Amberfoot's daughter

Ashkit - gray tom with a white chest and paws; Ravenwing and Amberfoot's son

Larkfeather - dappled brown she-cat; expecting Copperclaw's kits

 **Elders:**

Silvertuft - pale gray she-cat with insightful yellow-green eyes

Thundertail - bulky gray tom with dull green eyes

Sunfoot - golden she-cat with warm, caring green eyes

* * *

 **MossClan**

 **Leader:** Treestar - brown tom with shamrock green eyes

 **Deputy:** Raccoonmask - dark brown tabby with green eyes

 **Warriors:**

Honeyflower - golden she-cat with patches of darker brown

Aspentail - golden brown she-cat

* * *

 **ShadeClan**

 **Leader:** Duskstar - dark gray tom with pale green eyes and licks of silver in parts of his fur

 **Deputy:** Dawnfeather- golden she-cat with creamy eyes; Duskstar's sister

 **Warriors:**

Cloudfoot - white tomcat

* * *

Countless fox-lengths away from the Clans, within Silverpelt itself, four cats sat around a shimmering blue pool.

"How in the name of StarClan did it get this bad?" hissed a tabby named Eaglefeather.

"I can hardly believe it," agreed Kinktail, a she-cat.

"We're _Star_ Clan," muttered a calico named Brightflame. "We should be able to handle this. Can't we deliver some epic prophecy to end this dumb war?"

"No," Eaglefeather said grumpily. "Cats will just keep on fighting and killing and nothing will ever get solved, because Lionstar and Rainstar are idiotic and don't deserve to be Clan leaders."

"That's bright," remarked Kinktail.

"I think we can fix this," murmured the last cat, a bright silver she-cat named Silverbird. "We helped Heatherleaf, remember?"

"Correction," Eaglefeather said, " _you_ helped Heatherleaf. _While we were in the middle of coming up with a plan_. You just stood up, waved us off, and said, 'Oh, I don't need you three! I'm going to fix it all myself!'"

"And those were my exact words," Silverbird said. Her voice was soft and icy.

"I think what Silverbird was trying to say," Brightflame offered, glaring at Eaglefeather, "is that because of us, Heatherleaf is alive and EmberClan has a strong medicine cat to guide them. If we can do that, we can stop a war."

"If we had left that mopey medicine cat to die, then EmberClan would've been weakened and IceClan could've finished them off once and for all," Eaglefeather snarled.

"And that's what we want," Kinktail bristled.

"Of course! EmberClan is clearly in the wrong!" retorted Eaglefeather.

"If we had left Heatherleaf to die, less IceClan cats would lose their lives, but what about EmberClan?" Silverbird. "Without a medicine cat, Lionstar would do everything he could to destroy them and end the war once and for all."

"And what's wrong with that?" Eaglefeather said. "We're _trying_ to stop the war, after all."

"I don't know why we invited you here," Kinktail said. "All you do is take IceClan's side. We're StarClan, Eaglefeather. We're all supposed to be _neutral._ "

"None of you are even close to neutral," Eaglefeather hissed. "You take EmberClan's side. _Always_. I'm just here to add variety."

"Anyways, what if Wolfwing had stayed?" Brightflame said. "He knew that Heatherleaf would take up the medicine cat position when he left. But if Heatherleaf was gone..."

"Wolfwing was mad," Kinktail said, her fur laying flat. "We can't be sure what he knew or didn't know. Anyway, I have an idea."

"I hope it's not another stupid one," Eaglefeather grumbled.

"Oh, you mean like one of your ideas?" Kinktail shot back. She waved her paw over the pool, and a white she-cat showed up. Her eyes were yellow, like leaves in the fall, and her tail and ears were striped orange.

"You want Dappledkit?" Silverbird said, tilting her head at the image.

"Why not?" Kinktail replied. "We know she's a fighter, from what we've seen of her so far. She could stop the war."

"But how?" Brightflame asked.

"We give her a power," Kinktail said.

Sulking, Eaglefeather walked up to the pool. His eyes brightened a little when he saw the cat.

"She's from IceClan, right? Dappledkit?"

"Yup," Kinktail replied.

"This might not be a bad idea," Eaglefeather said, settling down.

"You're just happy she's an IceClan cat," Kinktail pointed out. "Anyway, I was thinking... if she understood why the war needed stopping, and had enough influence over other cats, she could speak up and stop the war. Her power should make her know the consequences of this awful war."

"What if she felt others' pain?" Silverbird suggested.

"That's a bad idea if she turns out to be a warrior," Eaglefeather said. "What happens when she goes off to battle?"

"She's strong," Kinktail said. "She fought off greencough as a _kit_. She'll be able to handle a battle."

"I don't know..." Brightflame said skeptically. "I worry about her. She mostly keeps to herself, doesn't confide in anyone."

"She'll make a friend in Hawkpaw," Silverbird said. "And Heatherleaf will watch over her."

"We can't be sure. Let's give her a different power," Brightflame said assertively.

"How about mind-reading?" Eaglefeather put out.

The cats were silent for a heartbeat.

"That's perfect!" Kinktail exclaimed. "She could still tell when other cats were in pain, but not experience it herself..."

"Just the right balance," Brightflame agreed. "Mind-reading will work. I can feel it."

"Does StarClan have enough power to do this?" Silverbird worried. "Should we really put all of our faith in a newborn kit?"

" _You_ put all of your faith in your precious Heatherleaf," Eaglefeather spat.

"Besides, we have to," Brightflame said. "This is the only way to stop the war."

All of the cats, even Eaglefeather, gazed into the pool at Dappledkit's bright face, wondering if she would be enough.


	2. One: A Colorful World

I was born to a litter of five.

Three of us- me, Swiftkit, and Thornkit- are alive today.

We were delivered in the middle of a bout of greencough. Me and my sisters, Whitekit and Dovekit, caught greencough. We had to live the first half-moon of our lives cooped up in the medicine den, coughing up StarClan knows what. Whitekit and Dovekit, the smallest in the litter, didn't make it, despite the medicine cat's efforts. I was the only survivor.

I was _strong_.

I can remember desperately clinging to life, trying to get air into my lungs, for a half-moon. I can still imagine the pain racking my body with each cough. And then, right when it was at its worst, I was visited by a somber-looking she-cat.

"Once you are grown, you will have a lot on your shoulders," she said, eyes glistening. "Too much, I think."

I was too young to fully grasp the meaning of the words, but I can still remember what she said. And then she leaned forward and touched her nose to mine, and suddenly, the world blossomed into color. I gave the she-cat an awed look. Suddenly, I could sense her mind, her thoughts, her feelings. Her aura was a polished silver-white color. If I leaned into it, let the white fill me up inside, I could see what she was thinking.

 _Oh, Dappledkit,_ she thought. _I'm so sorry. This is not the future I wanted for you._

My sister, Thornkit, had reddish, earthy brown thoughts. Swiftkit's were a slate gray color, and my mother, Snowflame, had an ivory aura. Nightclaw, the medicine cat, was a regal purple. Every cat had colorful thoughts. When I wasn't trying to invade anyone's mind, I could just feel their colors. But when I wanted to hear what they were thinking, I just had to focus on their color, and suddenly their thoughts would unravel in front of me.

 _Got to be strong, got be strong for the kits,_ Snowflake thought.

 _A warrior! I'm going to be a warrior one day!_ Thornkit kept thinking.

 _I hope Dappledkit turns out okay,_ Swiftkit would worry. _She was so sick... But she's a good cat. A fighter. She's going to make a spectacular warrior._

I wasn't a fighter. I was weak.

Hawkpaw, an apprentice, had foliage green thoughts. He had the most interesting mind of any cat int he Clan; he seemed to always be thinking of me. Dustpaw and Tawnypaw had chartreuse thoughts. Sparrowpaw's mind was a bright, eyeball-scorching red. It fit him. He had angry thoughts whenever he was around me.

Lionstar's thoughts were a fearsome, unmatchable black; no cat had an aura as deep blue as Frozenwhisker; Junipercloud's was a vibrant orange; Hailclaw's bright yellow mind made me itch; Grayfeather's were brick red. The three youngest warriors- Spiderfur, Silverheart, and Palefang- I could never remember who was who, and their colors all blended together in my mind. And Poppytail, the only elder, had a sort of terra-cotta aura.

One quarter-moon and a lot of catmint later, I had fought off greencough and was allowed back into the nursery. Cats were calling me a fighter, saying I was strong. It was difficult for most grown cats to survive greencough, and I, a young kit, had scraped through! But despite what everyone said, I wasn't a fighter.

I was terrified of the world.


	3. Two: Training with Sparrowpaw

"It's so boring, being cooped up in here all the time!" exclaimed Thornkit, pacing back and forth in the nursery. "Snowflake, when can we learn how to hunt?"

"You're too little," Snowflake said. She leaned over and fiercely licked Thornkit's forehead. "One day, you will be big enough."

Snowflame was very practical. She never worried for very long, not even in her thoughts, and she always got right to the point. Never once had she said the word "greencough" out loud. I liked that about her. Other cats' words were always coated with frills, but not hers.

"Why won't you at least let us out of the nursery?" Thornkit moaned dramatically. "The older apprentices can watch over us!"

"You're not strong enough," Swiftkit said, his voice bright and positive like always. Swiftkit could shine his way through any darkness. "Maybe if you could beat me in a fight, you'd be ready," he said, playfully swiping his paw.

"Like you'd ever win!" Thornkit exclaimed. "But now's not the time, Swiftkit. We can play later. Right now, I want to go _outside_!"

"Fine," Snowflake said. "I'll ask Sparrowpaw if he can show you the hunting crouch when he gets back from training."

 _They'll be okay,_ came Snowflame's ivory mind. _I trust Sparrowpaw. He's a good cat, he is._

I wasn't sure, but I was too afraid to say anything. And besides, Snowflake didn't know I could read minds.

I had debated telling anyone, but finally I decided that it wasn't really that important. I could _choose_ whether or not I read someone's mind, so it wasn't that big of a power, was it? Nobody had to know. Plus, sometimes Snowflake scared me. I didn't want to say anything unless I knew how she would react.

There was one cat in the big, wide world who I wanted to tell who I could read minds, and that was Hawkpaw. But that wasn't knew; I wanted to tell Hawkpaw everything. How I felt like I had to survive, for Whitekit and Dovekit. How there was a tightening in my chest whenever I had to speak to someone, and my breath would quicken. How it felt much safer to stay cooped up in the nursery forever, where I could stay in the shadows and never talk to anyone or confront anyone ever again.

But I could never build up the courage to talk to Hawkpaw. Some strange part of my brain kept on telling me he'd think I was a weirdo if I said anything to him, even though I had seen inside his mind and I knew he wouldn't judge me.

"Is Sparrowpaw back yet?" Thornkit whined.

"He's training, little one," Snowflake said. "He won't be back for a bit."

"But _I_ want to go out _now_!" Thornkit exclaimed. She galloped towards the entrance, but Snowflame caught her before she could take a single step out and set her gently back in her nest.

"I bet I'll be better at hunting than you," Swiftkit said.

"Nuh-uh!" Thornkit said.

"Yeah, I-"

"Sparrowpaw's back," Snowflake said softly.

Thorn kit's face lit up and she charged out of the nursery, Swiftkit at her heels. Snowflake nosed me after them, and I reluctantly bounded forward to catch up.

It was the fourth time I had been out of the nursery. The first two were when I had greencough; the second was when Snowflake let us get some fresh-kill from the pile. Thornkit had dragged us all around the camp- it was her first time out, so she wanted to see everything- and somehow we ended up poking around in the deputy's den. Snowflame had never let us out again. But she must've thought we'd be fine if Sparrowpaw was watching.

"Sparrowpaw!" squeaked Thornkit. "Sparrowpaw, Sparrowpaw, will you teach us the hunting crouch?"

 _Oh, look, it's Snowflame's litter,_ Sparrowpaw thought fondly. But then his eyes landed on me. _Not this one. I don't want to teach Dappledkit. But the other ones..._

"Has Snowflake okayed it?" he asked, flicking his tail.

"Yup! She let us out here," Swiftkit said.

"Fine by me, then," Sparrowpaw said. His voice was bright, but his thoughts had the feel of a rotting log. _I don't want to train Dappledkit. I don't want to do anything with that little worm! I wish she'd never been born!_

I wanted so desperately to tell him something snarky, but I couldn't bring myself to say a word.

"If it's snowy, the hunting crouch doesn't really work," Sparrowpaw said. "All IceClan cats have thick fur, and that'll brush against the snow and make a lot of racket. So you have to be creative. I like to climb a nearby tree and wait for prey to come by, then suddenly drop onto it! It's a lot of fun! But it's newleaf right now and all of the snow has melted, so you can hunt normally."

 _How can I mess this up for Dappledkit?_ he wondered. _How can I ruin this for her? She's an_ awful _cat and she deserves for her life to be ruined._

"Dappledkit, you have shorter legs, so you don't have to do the hunting crouch," Sparrowpaw blurted suddenly. "You'll be silent enough just walking normally."

 _Will she buy that? Her legs are normal-sized,_ Sparrowpaw fretted.

"Okay," I said. "Sounds good."

I'd play Sparrowpaw's game, for now. If he really hated me that much, and I squirreled my out of this plan, then he would stop at nothing to trick me again. I could pretend I was fooled by this, and stop him from thinking of something worse.

"Crouch down, Swiftkit, Thornkit," Sparrowpaw ordered. "Keep your tail steadier, Thornkit, and don't be so high up, Swiftkit! Stay very low to the ground."

I tried to memorize the position they were in, so I could use it later. I would surprise Sparrowpaw by being such a good hunter.

 _You'll show Sparrowpaw,_ I told myself. _You can be a good hunter._


	4. Three: Hawkpaw

"You know," said Swiftkit thoughtfully, "Dappledkit's legs aren't any smaller than ours."

"You must be mistaken," I said quickly, before I could start to feel terrified, before my chest tightened and my breathing grew unsteady. "Sparrowpaw's older than us, Swiftkit, and older cats are always right. So that means that my legs really are short." I stretched them out luxuriously. They were longer than Swiftkit's.

My ribs seemed to be crushed under the weight of my panic, and I couldn't breathe. Had I really just said that? I was proud myself. I had managed to do that, despite my fears. But I was also internally freaking out. That was the wrong thing to say! What if I offended someone? What if I screwed it up? This was all my fault! _Everything was all my fault!_

I latched onto Swiftkit's calm thoughts. _Huh,_ he was musing. _Dappledkit's probably right. Older cats are smarter than us, after all. But I can't help but feel like something doesn't fit here._

Starting to calm down, I turned back to Sparrowpaw's mind. _Thank goodness she believes me,_ Sparrowpaw thought. _She deserves everything I've done to her. Two times over! She will never be good enough for my brother!_

As if on cue, Hawkpaw padded into camp. He looked at me, meeting my eyes, and even though I wasn't trying to read his mind, I could tell how happy he was to see me.

"What's going on here?" he asked with a smile. "We're already training the kits?"

"Yup," Sparrowpaw told him. "They'll be great hunters. I wish I was old enough to mentor one of them." His gaze flitted over Thornkit. Of course. That was a match made in StarClan.

"Why isn't Dappledkit practicing?" asked Hawkpaw, a little too innocently.

 _You know perfectly well why,_ Sparrowpaw's mind roared. _You like her! Only because she's a greencough survivor! I bet she didn't even_ have _greencough, and she just wanted attention, and like an idiot, you fell for it! She's not good enough for you!_

I stopped reading Sparrowpaw's thoughts, and instead leaned into Hawkpaw's.

"She doesn't want to," Sparrowpaw lied. He was a good liar.

 _Is this about my..._ His mind seemed to veer away from the words. _I_ s _this about what I told Sparrowpaw? Is she mad about that? I need to put a stop to this._

"Fair enough," Hawkpaw said. "Dappledkit, would you like to train if I taught you?"

 _Yes,_ I thought. _And no._ Part of me was still terrified about talking to him, about talking to _anyone_.

"But she doesn't have to train," Swiftkit interjected. "Her legs are so short, she'll make hardly any noise when she's hunting. So she doesn't have to do the hunting crouch."

Hawkpaw looked skeptically at Sparrowpaw. "Is that what you told her?"

"No," Sparrowpaw grunted. "The little kit dreamed it up herself. To do less work, probably."

Thornkit looked up at Tawnypaw questioningly. "But you said it, not Dappledkit. You were the one who told her that."

Hawkpaw stepped over me, his gaze suddenly fierce. "I think _I_ should be training her, Sparrowpaw."

"Shouldn't you be with Spiderfur?" Sparrowpaw hissed, curling his lips.

"Shouldn't _you_ be with _Hailclaw_?" Hawkpaw retorted. "They're our mentors, not our family. Training younger ones is just as important. Dappledkit, show me your best hunting crouch."

 _Why is Sparrowpaw doing this?_ he thought. _I just want what's best for Dappledkit. Is he trying to ruin my life?_

 _No,_ I wanted to tell him. _He's trying to ruin my life. You're just an added benefit._

I slid into a crouch, trying to mirror Swiftkit and Thornkit's hunting crouches.

"Keep your paws tucked in," Hawkpaw reminded me. "Spread the weight evenly across your legs; don't favor your front paws. And remember to keep your tail steady..."

By the time Snowflame came back for us, I had mastered the hunting crouch. Sparrowpaw had given up on Swiftkit and Thornkit after they had sort of gotten it, but Hawkpaw kept me practicing. I couldn't wait to be an apprentice.


	5. Four: Lantana the Rogue

As the moons passed, Hawkpaw kept training me. I got better and better at all of the stances for hunting and fighting as I grew out of my kit clumsiness. Swiftkit and Thornkit had given up a long time ago, preferring to play instead of practice, but I kept up.

 _I can't believe she's still training,_ Hawkpaw thought. _Training with_ me _._

 _She'll be a good warrior,_ Snowflame would think to herself. _She's determined. I worried about her, but- but she's fine._

Snowflame then firmly clamped down on her emotions, and I didn't get much of anything else from her the rest of the day.

 _Why is she bothering with training?_ Thornkit wondered. _She'll get plenty of time when she's an apprentice. Playing is much more fun!_

When I was almost six moons old, Hawkpaw and his siblings became warriors, under the names Hawkflight, Sparrowpelt, Duststorm, and Tawnyfur. Hawkflight stopped training me after he became a warrior. I was okay with that- we were in a war, after all. He was busy. But I had a lot more time on my paws now that I wasn't training.

It was then that I started to have the dreams.

The first time, I blinked awake in a grassy plaint. It _looked_ a lot like IceClan territory, and I could certainly smell IceClan cats, but there was another distinct scent, one that I couldn't quite recognize. Could it be the border with another Clan?

"Hello?"

My head shot up, and my fur bristled. It was a cat! I started to panic, mind racing- until I stopped myself. There was no reason to worry. Everything would be _fine_. What was the worst that could happen if I embarrassed myself in front of this cat?

Still, I was having difficulty breathing.

The cat in front of me was a she-cat with orangish-brown fur. She had a pale yellow aura, and she looked close in age to Grayfeather, an expecting queen who had just moved into the nursery a half-moon ago. The she-cat's pelt was riddled with scars.

"Hello, little kit," she said. "Are you dreaming, too?"

 _She's completely solid, so definitely not a StarClan cat,_ the she-cat thought. _If that's true... what's she doing in my dreams?_

"I'm- I'm- my name is- I'm Dappledkit," I choked out. "And what's yours?"

She blinked.

"Y-your name," I stuttered.

"I'm Heatherleaf," she said with a smile. "EmberClan's medicine cat. What are you doing in my dreams?"

"I don't- I'm not sure," I said. "I'm- an IceClan kit."

I tried to force my tense muscles to relax. But it didn't work.

"Well, we wouldn't be dreaming of each other if it wasn't for a reason," Heatherleaaf mused. "Do you have any idea?"

I liked this cat. She spoke what she thought. Most of the cats I knew kept secrets, or left out details, or hid their feelings. For the most part, Heatherleaf was a clean slate.

I glanced around the grassy area. "M-maybe we have to find something here."

 _This poor, scared kit,_ Heatherleaf thought, and then two images flashed in her mind: one of her as a kit, bright-eyed and happy, and of a dark gray tomkit. Concern and sadness and fear glimmered through, all at once, but then her thoughts returned to me and she shoved down the feelings.

"You'll be okay," Heatherleaf assured me. "Don't be afraid; I'm not here to hurt you."

 _That's not what I'm afraid of._ I thought of Hawkflight and Snowflame and Thornkit and Swiftkit, and all of the cats who would hate me if I knew I was invading their thoughts. No, I had to be afraid, always.

"Let's look for something, then," Heatherleaf said, scanning the horizon. "I caught an odd scent a few minutes ago, before I found you. It didn't smell like any Clan in particular."

"Could it be a rogue?" I asked, trying to be helpful.

"I think it is," Heatherleaf said. "But what it's doing so close to the border, I don't understand."

"Maybe we- I mean, I suppose- we need to find it out," I said.

Heatherleaf and I walked along the border, looking for any clues. We quickly caught a whiff of the cat we were looking for. It was definitely a rogue, but I didn't know anything beyond that. Heatherleaf's mind didn't have any clues.

"It's certainly no cat I've scented before," Heatherleaf said. "I guess we just have to follow the trail."

We kept going until Heatherleaf suddenly stiffened. The only emotion I could get from her mind was _pain_.

"Do you see that?" she whispered.

"I don't see anything," I told her. "I guess- I must be too short."

Heatherleaf gently picked me up by the scruff and set me on her back. From that vantage point, I could see a flash of white ahead of us.

 _Cloudpaw,_ Heatherleaf's mind silently begged. _Please let it be Cloudpaw. There's... there's no way it's him. But... please?_

Her thoughts were so sad. "That's as good a sign as any," I said quickly trying to distract her. "Let's- I mean, we should- let's get closer. Find out who he is."

Heatherleaf walked forward, and the fuzzy white shape slowly turned into a cat. The cat abruptly turned around to face us, and Heatherleaf froze.

 _It's him,_ she thought, and I could panic start to rise within her, as it so often did within me. _Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no..._

 _Is it Cloudpaw?_ I wondered. _Surely she shouldn't be panicking this much._ "Heatherleaf," I said slowly, "what's wrong?"

"I've dreamt about this cat," she murmured. "There's a... a prophecy."

 _Evil does not need to be cloaked in black,_ her mind whispered ominously.

"Hello," purred the white cat. "I won't hurt you. There's no need to freak out." I realized from her voice that she was a she-cat. She had an oddly irritating blue-green aura.

 _There_ is _need to freak out, you're evil, StarClan's predicted it, you're probably gonna hurt this poor kit,_ Heatherleaf thought. I pulled out of her mind. I had enough fear for the both of us; I didn't need to hear her panicked thoughts anymore.

"Who- I mean, well- uh- it's- who are you?" I asked.

If she was annoyed by how I stumbled around with the words, she didn't show it. "My name is Lantana," she said. Her voice was bright and friendly, but her eyes gleamed at me in a way I wasn't sure I liked. "And you are?"

I was too afraid to tell her my name, but luckily, Heatherleaf jumped in for me.

"We're loners," she said defiantly. "I'm Heather, and this is Dapple."

Lantana's expression twisted. "Liars," she hissed. "You're Heatherleaf, that wretched EmberClan medicine cat. And you, my darling... You're Dappledkit."

I scrambled off of Heatherleaf and slowly backed away.

"You have a power, sweet," Lantana said silkily. "A power that I want. _Give it to me._ "

And with that, I was violently thrust from the dreaming world, and I awoke blinking into a morning sun.


	6. Five: Wake Up

I dreamt again the next night. The first thing I saw was Lantana's face, curled up into a snarl. I yelped and scrambled away.

 _"Give me your power, or I will tear it from your scrawny body,"_ came her twisted growl.

"I just- I'm sorry!" I exclaimed. "I don't know how to give you my power!"

Lantana ignored me, eyes gleaming. "You silly little she-cat. You might believe that you have a destiny, that you can stop the war with your power, but that's just not true. You don't deserve a power like that! _I_ do!"

"What?" I yowled. What was she going on about a destiny and stopping the war?

"First, I'll find a way to steal your power from you," Lantana snarled. "Then, since you're not being _cooperative_ , I think I'd take some delight in ripping you to a shreds. And you'll never, _ever_ save your precious Clanmates."

Were my Clanmates going to be hurt? _I don't want to suffer! What's Lantana talking about?_

And then I woke up, blinking into the morning the light.

The next dream was just as vicious. Lantana had me pinned down, and I could feel her hot breath on my fur. "Dappledkit," she whispered, voice dripping with menace, "you're _mine_."

A pale brown bullet shot out of nowhere and slammed into Lantana. She shrieked, claws dragging across my fur, and then finally let go. I blinked and looking up.

It was Heatherleaf.

"You'd better get out of here," the medicine cat hissed. "And don't you _ever_ attack Dappledkit like that again."

Lantana roared and scampered away. For a heartbeat, I thought she was taking Heatherleaf's advice and running away, but then she shot back towards Heatherleaf and tackled her.

 _Heatherleaf's gonna get torn to shreds,_ I thought, but to my surprise, she was putting a fight. Within a few moments, she had gotten back to her paws and starting scratching Lantana.

Could I help? I quickly tried to read Lantana's mind, but in the heat of battle, her thoughts were racing too fast for me to understand.

I caught a flash of a thought- _Now to just swipe and claw and shove_ \- and then suddenly Heatherleaf was pinned to the ground.

"Heatherleaf!" I exclaimed. "No!"

Heatherleaf blinked slowly, blood dripping from a cut on her mouth. Her expression was unreadable. Helplessly, I tried to read her thoughts; they were painfully sluggish.

 _Dappledkit... young... can't... nothing... have to..._

I threw myself at Lantana as fast as possible, clinging to her back fur with my claws. Lantana shrieked in anger. If I could just stay on tight, then maybe Heatherleaf could get free... Lantana began furiously jumping up and down, trying to toss me off. On her third jump, I was flung off her back. I hit the ground hard.

"You two put up a fight," Lantana said. She sat down and was now calmly licking her paw and washing behind her ear.

"Get out of our dreams!" Heatherleaf exclaimed, bristling. She had scrambled free while I was on top of Lantana.

"Can't say I will," Lantana replied. Her eyes flashed. "I'll haunt your dreams until Dappledkit gives me her power. And if she never does, then I'll be here every night. _Forever_."

"How are you getting into our dreams?" Heatherleaf exclaimed.

Lantana grinned. "If a cat has a big important destiny-" she turned to me with a hiss- "like _stopping a war,_ then StarClan will give them a power to help them. And I'll steal that power. I can walk in other cats' dreams because of a ShadeClan cat."

My heart seemed to sink into my stomach. She could just _steal_ powers like that? Who knew what she'd stolen so far?

I was trying to ignore that part of me stopping the war, because I was partly afraid of that and partly didn't think I could ever pull it off.

"That's not fair!" Heatherleaf cried. "Starling only gives cats powers for a very important reason! Think about how many lives you're changing when you steal powers!"

"Oh, yes," Lantana said, "but think about how _my_ life changes." She was grinning now. "I'm so much happier now. I can give my greatest allies the rewards they deserve- and my worst enemies the punishments they need. With your power, Dappledkit, I'll be able to tell which cats are planning on betraying me and which are loyal to me."

"Dappledkit," Heatherleaf said quietly. "What's your power?"

"Mind reading," Lantana chirped before I could say anything. "Isn't it amazing?"

Heatherleaf's eyes were wide. My heart seemed to sink into my stomach.

"What _I_ want to know, darling Heatherleaf," Lantana said with a huge yawn, "is what you're doing in Dappledkit's dreams. It's really quite annoying. I'd have her power by now if it weren't for your... fierceness."

Heatherleaf glanced at me, confused. "I thought... I thought you were doing that."

"If it's not you," Lantana said, her eyes slitted, "and it's not me... then it must be StarClan." Her tired casualness had vanished. She stood up straighter, her whole body alert.

"Maybe StarClan doesn't want you to steal her power," Heatherleaf said fiercely. "Right, Dappledkit?"

 _She's making me talk? To other cats? I don't like this very much,_ I thought, my stomach twisting into knots. "Yes," I got out.

"Maybe I should do something about that," Lantana snarled. She launched herself at Heatherleaf.

"Lantana!" I exclaimed. _Shouldn't have said that, it makes you seem weak_ murmured a socially anxious part of my mind, but it was drowned out quickly by terror and fright for Heatherleaf. I scrambled after them, trying to claw at Lantana, but I got to close to hitting Heatherleaf and I gave up.

 _There's one way to stop this,_ I thought. _Wake up!_

 _Wake. Up. Right. Now!_

I suddenly startled awake. Thornkit was shaking me back and forth, her voice exasperated.

"Wake up, Dappledkit! Don't be a lazy elder!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I said. "I'm up."

"It's almost time for our apprentice ceremony," Thornkit said, rolling her eyes. "You have to get washed so you can look nice and clean before you're presented to the Clan. That's what Snowflame says."

I blinked and scrambled to my paws. My apprentice ceremony. It hadn't even occurred to me that I was six moons old yet. My chest grew tight. What if the Clan thought I wasn't worthy of being an apprentice? What if my mentor was mean? What if cats judged me?

"Your face is getting all scrunched-up again," Swiftkit observed. "Are you scared? Don't be a worrywart, Dappledkit, it's just your apprentice ceremony."

My mind was still buzzing as I washed myself. I knew two new things today: One, Heatherleaf knew that I could read her mind, and strangely enough, she didn't care.

And two: I was destined to stop a war.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around the Overhang for a Clan meeting!" came Lionstar's call.

IceClan camp was on the border of the mountains. The majority of the camp was in grassy plains, but towards the edge, where the leader slept, it was rockier. There were several boulders and a large ledge called the Overhang that the Clan gathered around during meetings.

 _This can't be nearly as terrifying as Lantana,_ I tried to tell myself. _It's just an apprentice ceremony. There are no scary nightmare rogues that want to steal my power._

 _There are just cats._

 _Mean, judgmental cats._

I padded out of the den, keeping my head low and trying to hide between Swiftkit and Thornkit.


	7. Six: Apprentice Ceremony

"Warriors of IceClan," Lionstar announced, flicking his tail, "it is time to make three young cats apprentices. Thornkit, Swiftkit, and Dappledkit, Snowflame's first litter, are now six moons old."

Lionstar's fur was a tawny color that gleamed golden in the sunlight. Scars ran down his muzzle and shoulder, and there was a tear in his right ear. This was a cat who preferred to fight his own battles, instead of making his warriors do everything for him.

Snowflame nosed us towards Lionstar. She acted indifferent on the outside, but she was standing up straighter, and her thoughts were shining with pride.

"Thornkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprentice. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Thornpaw. Your mentor will be Palefang. He will train you to become a formidable warrior," Lionstar said. His front fangs were unusually large, and even with his mouth closed, I could see them poking out from behind his lip.

Palefang strode forward. His pelt was a shade lighter than Lionstar's, but he had the same long teeth and overbite. Palefang was Lionstar's son, and he resembled him greatly. He even had a matching scar on his muzzle, which he had gotten from fighting the EmberClan leader, Rainstar.

"Palefang, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Frozenwhisker, and you have shown yourself to be fierce and loyal. You will be the mentor of Thornpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her." _Is it too soon after Duststorm?_ Lionstar wondered to himself. _Maybe I should give her another mentor. But Palefang is a capable warrior, after all. And it's to like I have a lot of cats to choose from; we've lost too many in battle recently. Over this stupid warrior with EmberClan._

That was interesting- Lionstar didn't like the war. I had never even considered that was possible. On the outside, he was as emotionless as Snowflame.

 _Is he trying to be strong for his Clan?_ I guessed. That was the impression I got from Snowflame- she tried to squelch every emotion because she was concerned what it'd do to us if we saw her emotional. But Lionstar didn't seem particularly worried about his cats' spirits. In fact, he seemed more self-conscious than anything. Even a big brute like Lionstar could fret about what other cats thought of him.

"Swiftkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Swiftpaw. Your mentor will be Hailclaw. She will train you to become a formidable warrior," Lionstar said, eying the crowd. Hailclaw stepped forward.

 _An apprentice!_ _Another one!_ And then a darker part of her mind whispered, _Hopefully this one will be better than Sparrowpelt._

Lionstar continued with the ceremony. My worry was getting stronger. I didn't want to be presented to the Clan! What if I messed up? I stood up straighter, wanting to look professional, then I wondered if that seemed like I was being rude and thought I was better than anyone else. I slouched down, but that didn't seem right either. What if the Clan thought I was being lazy? Nervously, I tried to find a middle ground between the two.

"Dappledkit," Snowflame hissed under her breath, "step up to Lionstar."

 _Oh no! I wasn't paying attention! I must've missed it when Lionstar called me up!_ I hobbled towards him shakily. Lionstar reached out his neck and touched his nose to mine.

"Junipercloud, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from me, and you have shown yourself to be clever and strong. You will be the mentor of Thornpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

 _I wasn't listening when he gave me my new name and announced my mentor,_ I thought worriedly. _I'm a bad apprentice!_

"Dappledpaw!" Snowflame cheered, breaking my train of thought. "Thornpaw! Swiftpaw! Dappledpaw!"

"Hooray!" a cat shouted. The voice had a greenish aura to it. I glanced down, meeting Hawkflight's eyes.

 _He's cheering for me._

 _Duh, Dappledpaw. He has to. It's your apprentice ceremony._

"Alright, guys," Hailclaw said once the cheering had died down. "Let's go to the ridge."

The ridge was where apprentices often trained. I had heard all about if from Hawkflight's mind. It was big and wide, close to camp, and very far from any borders, so it was a perfect place for apprentices to practice hunting and fighting stances.

"Good idea," Junipercloud said. "Let's teach them how to hunt."

We climbed down the ledge in single file and set out for the training ridge, Hailclaw in the lead and me taking up the rear. I wasn't sure whether to be excited or nervous. Finally I was an apprentice... but what did that really?


	8. Seven: Training and Fighting

IceClan territory is half mountain and half plains. The mountains are the tallest in the northwestern tip, and get gradually smaller and sparser until they become hills, then finally flat land. The plains have tall grass, the height of a full grown cat, and stretch out from the edge of the mountains to the hilly area where the rogues live. Equally space between us and the rogues is EmberClan, our rivals. According to the elders, their leader is Rainstar, a cat crueler than any other animal in all the territories, even the ruthless foxes.

East of the mountains in a thick woodland area, full of lush green foliage. MossClan makes their home there. They can have their muddy, messy forest, where they can only feel the sun on their backs in wide open clearings. Here in IceClan, everything is clean and fresh and open, and in some places it's hard to tell where the ground ends and the sky begins.

Opposite to MossClan's forest is ShadeClan, and they couldn't be more different than MossClan. Even though ShadeClan's woods turn green every year in new-leaf, they stay bare and gray and dead longer than any other tree. And in the summer, the trees still look dark gray-green. Nothing in ShadeClan's territory looks alive, whereas in MossClan, too much is alive. But ShadeClan loves their territory. They stay secluded and alone in the shadows, and rarely does their leader speak to the other Clans. ShadeClan believes in the strength of their own, single Clan, and doesn't concern themselves with any other cat.

I've been apprenticed for over a moon now, and I've seen every corner of IceClan territory. From my perch up on the Icy Mountain, the tallest mountain of them all, I've seen every corner of the other Clans, too. I've seen the top of the redbud tree that marks MossClan camp (our spies discovered that when we were at war ages ago), the large clearing where ShadeClan settles, and open expanse of EmberClan's camp. They don't even try to hide their camp, those stuck-up cats. They think they're so skilled in battle that they don't need any stealth. But now that I've met Heatherleaf, the way the elders speak of nasty, snobby, egotistic EmberClan doesn't fit quite right in my head anymore. Heatherleaf was kind and the very picture of empathy. I could hardly imagine grouping her up with the other self-absorbed EmberClan cats.

Gradually, Junipercloud helped to hone my skills at all of the hunting and fighting stances, and soon I could catch prey as well as any warrior. The only thing I was bad at was the fighting part. I could get into position, but in the heat of the moment, right when it counted the most, I couldn't get my paws to move right. Junipercloud was kind enough not to scold me, but I could see the disappointment in her eyes every time she looked at me.

"Some cats just aren't made for battle," she told me one day when Swiftpaw had beaten me for the fourth time that morning.

 _And some cats are,_ I thought later that night, when Heatherleaf appeared in my dreams, battling Lantana. True to her word, the white rogue had shown up in my dreams every night. But I was starting to handle it better. Heatherleaf and I together could always best Lantana; we were a team.

The days were starting to get brighter. I was getting used to being around Heatherleaf, to the point where my chest wasn't so tight around them, where I could breathe easily and be free. I was still terrified around other cats, especially Hawkflight, who I felt like I would always mess up, around, but I was okay around Heatherleaf. Maybe... if I always had at least one friend to fall back on, I could be happy. And not scared anymore.

Okay, if I was being fair, that was a jump. I couldn't see any universe where I actually wasn't scared.

One day, throughout this strange mess of terror and happiness and nightmares, EmberClan attacked the camp. I was out hunting with Swiftpaw and Thornpaw when I heard clamoring and caught EmberClan's strange, harsh scent. We looked at each other. Something unspoken passed between us, and we sprinted back to camp.

"Dappledpaw!" Junipercloud hissed when she us. "Get away! I don't want you getting hurt!"

Thornpaw hissed at her. "You can't stop us from helping!"

Junipercloud gave a snarl, but didn't object when we jumped into battle.

My first thought was that I could try to track the battle by reading cat's minds, and fighting would be easier.

My second thought, as I delved into the mind of a random EmberClan apprentice, was that this was an impossible task.

 _Ow, that really hurt-_

 _Gotta get there fast-_

 _Maybe I can win this battle-_

 _No! Rainstar-_

 _If I could just claw his ear-_

And then suddenly everyone's minds were trying to crowd inside my head, and I couldn't withdraw, couldn't lean back, couldn't save myself from the cacophony of sound and emotion. Every time a cat got hurt, I could almost feel it, their pained thoughts echoing in my head.

 _Get out,_ I told myself sharply. _Freaking out doesn't help! Cats will just look at you and judge you and know you're awful and a total fake!_ I took a deep breath. _Start one mind at a time. Pull yourself away._

The first cat I landed on was Heatherleaf. Her mind was calm and cool, her thoughts narrowed down on healing the cats around her. There was only a small spark of inner pain every once in a while, particularly when she saw a gray EmberClan warrior getting hurt. Heatherleaf's thoughts were easy to pull away, because they weren't nearly as panic-ridden as anyone else's.

I went one cat at a time, and once I had finished and my thoughts were finally my own, Thornpaw was staring at me.

"You okay?" she said. For a moment, I thought she was being sincere, but then her tone turned harsh. "You totally blanked out. Not responsive at all. How are we supposed to win any battles if we aren't even fighting?!"

I swallowed. "I-I'm okay" was all I could get out. The sheer number of cats around me, cats that could judge me and think about me and hate me, was taxing. But I needed to get ahold of myself. Sighing, I turned to the fray of the battle, ready to leap in.

As I glanced around the two groups of cats, more minds were trying to crowd in. It seemed like whenever there was a group of cats as panicked as they were now, I automatically read their thoughts. I told myself to breathe and keep calm. If I kept forcing their thoughts out, I'd be okay.

A realization hit me as I saw the cats claw each other and felt sparks of pain flash in their minds.

This war was pointless. Too many cats were hurt because of it.

Was Lantana right? Was it my duty to stop it?

 _Someone has to,_ I thought, which immediately surprised me. Where was that confident, brave cat hiding inside of me? I was a wimp. I couldn't stop a war; I could hardly say one word to my own _Clanmates_. Lantana had to have been mistaken. My mind-reading wasn't a tool to stop a war with, it was a useful power for everyday life.

Still, memories of the cat with the polished white mind kept bubbling up. Was she a StarClan cat? Did she give me powers so I could stop this war?

"Once you are grown, you will have a lot on your shoulders," I remember her saying. "Too much, I think."

Did that mean I was supposed to end this war?

 _Not now,_ I told myself. _Now is the time to fight._

I bounded forward, moving to claw a scrawny gray tom. The tom whipped around and slashed at my shoulder before I could stop him. I tried to remember everything Hawkflight and Junipercloud had taught me, and my paws fell into position, but I just couldn't react fast enough. The tom clawed me and pinned me over and over again.

 _She an idiot or something?_ he wondered. _I wonder if Specklepelt would want me to show mercy to her, or strike her down valiantly._

I was starting to dislike his train of thought.

I tried to scamper away, but the gray tom caught me and pinned me down. I kicked and trashed around wildly, and somehow my claws managed to connect with his muzzle. He let out a roar.

 _You jerk!_ the tom thought angrily. _You'll pay for that!_

He was fighting even harder now, and I managed to clamber to my paws and rush away as fast as I could. I twisted around, weaving my way through the fighting cats. The tom's bitter maroon thoughts were still echoing in my head, and I could tell he was trying to chase after me.

In my race to get away, I ran face-fist in a ball of brown fur.

"Oh!" the fur exclaimed. "Dappledpaw!"

I blinked and sat up, trying to regain my bearings. "H-hawkflight?"

"That's my name," he said. His green eyes, a little lighter and yellower than his dark aura, were stinging down at me. Even though his mouth wasn't smiling, those eyes were.

It took me a moment to speak up. "I... I'm sorry. It's my fault. I was running and I wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's fine," he murmured. "You haven't interrupted anything. I've just been looking around to see if any cat needs help."

There was a gravelly sound as a cat skidded to a halt in the grit behind us. I turned around. It was the gray tom.

"Gone for back-up, have you?" he snarled. In a whirl, the tom was sprinting towards me, his fangs bared. I had just enough time to dodge to the right a little, and my foreleg got the brunt of the attack instead of my neck.

"Dappledpaw!" came Hawkflight's cry. He hooked his claws on the tom's flank. The unexpected attack brought him down, and soon Hawkflight had the tabby pinned.

"Don't you dare hurt and IceClan cat," Hawkflight hissed.

 _Don't you dare hurt_ Dappledpaw _,_ his thoughts whispered, but he didn't want to say that out loud.

The tom tried to twist out of his grip, and Hawkflight lifted his lip and bristled his fur in warning. Wanting to be helpful, I joined in, raising my hackles and letting out a low snarl.

 _Show-off. If it weren't for this idiot, I'd have ripped her to shreds,_ the tom thought bitterly.

Hawkflight was just starting to release him when Rainstar shouted, "Retreat!" I felt a little pinprick of relief from the thoughts of every cat, but it was washed away by the sound of Lionstar's triumphant yowl.

"Th-thank you," I said to Hawkflight.

"It's no problem," he replied, swishing his tail back and forth. "Hey... Dappledpaw, do you want to go hunting sometime?"

I blinked, taken by surprise. "Oh, um, er... sure, okay, I guess."

"Good." The muscles along his legs, which had been pulled taut, relaxed a little. "I miss hanging out with you. There's really no reason for me to train you anymore, and it's been so long since we've actually had the time."

I glanced at the direction of the retreating IceClan cats, still feeling the shadow of Heatherleaf's thoughts despite the distance. I felt calmer just thinking about her.

 _She's the only cat I feel comfortable around._

 _The only cat I don't have to feel scared around._

 _So why do I want to do this? Why don't I just decline him, right her, right now, and skip the whole terrifying ordeal of trying to get to know him and failing in the end?_

I turned back to Hawkflight and summoned every scrap of bravery I had in my body.

"Uh, sure. I miss hanging out, too."


	9. Eight: Dawn Patrol

I stiffened. I had just had a particularly brutal dream with Lantana and Heatherleaf, and when I woke, there was a pool of sweat around me. I blinked several times, trying to figure out what had woken me up.

"Hi," came a voice. I glanced up.

"Hi, Hawkflight," I said softly. "So, er, what's- I mean, well, what's up?"

"Dawn patrol," he said. He angled his head sharply. "If you... Did you really want to hang out, Dappledpaw?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," I said, quickly starting to get up. "We're going on a dawn patrol?"

Hawkflight nodded. "Frozenwhisker says you can come with me, as long as you remember to train with Junipercloud later."

"Okay," I murmured, padding after him. We left the apprentice den and emerged into full sunlight. Cats looked around and up at us.

My thoughts were starting to race. I was going to make a fool of myself! It wasn't worth it! I caught Hawkflight's eyes and forced myself to calm down.

 _It'll be okay._

 _We'll just... see how this goes._

"Hi... is it Dappledpaw?" said a voice, tearing me from my thoughts.

"Oh, er, hi, Spiderfur," I said quickly. I studied the cats of the patrol. Spiderfur, Silverheart, and Duststorm were all coming. From the way he carried himself, Silverheart looked like he was the patrol's leader. I briefly scanned his mind; it was true.

"We're heading off to the ShadeClan border," Silverheart announced. "If we make good time, we might check MossClan as well."

 _No EmberClan?_ I wondered, but I would never have the courage to ask that myself. Thankfully, Duststorm spoke up. "We're not going for EmberClan?"

"Both of yesterday's patrols already checked in, and tonight's evening patrol will," Silverheart explained. "Frozenwhisker is worried that our borders along ShadeClan and MossClan will weaken if we focus all our energy on EmberClan."

Silverheart wove his way through the fallen rocks out of camp, the rest of us close behind him. I took up the rear, and Hawkflight stayed a tail-length ahead of me, glancing back every once in a while as if to confirm I was real.

"Sometimes I wish this whole war would just end," he muttered once we were out of camp, quiet enough so that no other cat besides me could hear it.

"Me too," I said softly. My thoughts returned to Lantana and the StarClan cat with the polished white mind. Destiny or not, I had to stop this war.

"We're nearing the ShadeClan border," Silverheart announced. "Duststorm, Spiderfur, go on ahead and mark it." He turned and padded over towards Hawkflight and I. "I'll go on ahead and check the MossClan border. Hawkflight, you come with me. Dappledpaw, you stay here so Duststorm and Spiderfur can watch you."

I looked over at Hawkflight, suddenly awkwardly unsure where to put my paws. Silverheart met my gaze and then Hawkflight's, a teasing glimmer in his eyes.

"On second thought, I'll stay here. Dappledpaw, you go with Hawkflight. He can watch over you fine on his own." Silverheart flicked his tail and turned eastward, where the sun was just starting to rise. "We'll regroup at the stream; that's about halfway between the two borders."

"Okay," Hawkflight said. His mind was tinged with relief. "Let's head off then. If we hurry, we can make it back to the stream before the first hunting patrols get out. Let's try to avoid EmberClan."

"Um-" I piped up, but I cut myself off before I could say something stupid.

"What did you say?" Hawkflight asked. Curiosity, not judgement, burned in his eyes.

"N-nothing," I stammered, "just that, er-r, it'd be faster to go to the EmberClan border. Don't you think? I mean, I don't want to cause trouble, but, we need to, um, I mean... If it hadn't been..."

Silverheart pricked his ears. "Are you trying to say that you shouldn't avoid the EmberClan border? Because it's faster and you'd be able to spot trouble before the evening patrol?"

Shame burned my cheeks, and my ears flattened. "Y-yes..."

Hawkflight blinked. "Well, I think it's a good idea. Meet you at the stream, Silverheart."

 _Poor Dappledpaw,_ Hawkflight thought as we started on our way. _She has such great ideas sometimes. I wish she wasn't so afraid of sharing them._

As we were walking, somewhere faintly in the background, I was aware of a blend of auras. Not clear and sharp and almost demanding me to read their mind, like when I was up close with a cat, but so far away I could hardly be certain they were auras at all. I didn't have a chance to explore it further because I was trying to keep up with Hawkflight, since he had longer legs and a bigger stride than me, so I assumed it was nothing and dismissed it. But after a while they were getting clear. I was sure that if it weren't for the tall grass, I'd be able to see them. I acted like I was taking a breather and stopped to latch onto a pale green one.

 _I don't know what Rainstar's thinking. This is ridiculous, this whole entire war. I don't want to attack IceClan, not today, not ever. I don't want to see her stupid face again. I don't want to have to watch her suffer. Oh, poor Grayfeather..._

I blinked.

 _This is EmberClan. I'm listening to the thoughts of an EmberClan cat._

 _They're on our territory._

 _EmberClan's invading IceClan!_


	10. Nine: IceClan Spy

"Dappledpaw? Is something wrong?"

I was bent down on the ground, as if I had started to fall and managed to steady myself halfway through. Hawkflight's eyes were shining with worry as he looked over me.

 _Make up a lie, and fast, Dappledpaw._ "Um... I just... I heard something. Didn't you?"

I had _heard_ the thoughts of another cat- an EmberClan cat, on his way to invade IceClan camp with the rest of his Clan- but Hawkflight didn't know I had powers, and now was not the right time to reveal it.

Hawkflight shook his head in response to my question. "What'd you hear?"

Quickly I connected myself to as many of the EmberClan cats' minds, in order to follow what was happening. "Uh, it just kind of sounded like, I don't know... cats? Lots of cats. Moving, talking, trying to be quiet, all muffled by the tall grass.

Hawkflight sniffed the air. "I can't smell any cats, but that might just be the wind. I don't think there are any IceClan cats out besides the other half of the dawn patrol. Is it EmberClan cats?"

"I think so," I said slowly.

"We need to warn Lionstar, then," Hawkflight said, "and fast, if they're in our territory. Do you know anything else?'

I shook my head. "Let's see if we can get closer," I suggested. "We might hear more."

"That's brave of you." His voice was calm and steady, but his thoughts were dripping with pride and emotion. "Let's go, then."

I crouched to the ground, trying to place where the cats' auras were coming from. After a few moments, I stalked off in the right direction, trying to keep as quiet as I could. Suddenly there was a ruffle, and Hawkflight gave a little snort.

"Well, I definitely heard that," he said. "And we must be close, because I can smell them and the wind hasn't changed."

The thoughts are really clear now. Now I could see that Heatherleaf was among them, as well as that gray cat she seemed to like a lot. There were more cats than in the last battle, and from a wider age range- some looked to be young apprentices. Still keeping part of my mind on Hawkflight, I tried to track them as best as I could.

 _We've got to be quieter. An EmberClan cat will hear us._

 _I can't believe all the invasions Rainstar's planning. This is just one of many!_

 _We should hurry; the sun is already rising._

 _Will those idiots in the front stop talking? They act like we're the bosses around here. We don't own the place, and we've lost more battles than we've won._

 _Does Rainstar know what she's doing?_

 _I hope Flamesky doesn't get hurt._

 _Am I going to see Grayfeather? Do I have to look at her in the face when she realizes that I'm fighting for EmberClan, not for the kits?_

 _Ugh. It's too early for this._

 _I really hope this'll be the last one. We'll wipe out IceClan for good. All the future invasions will be called off, and I won't have to drag myself out of my nest before the sun's even up again tomorrow._

"If this doesn't work, they're invading tomorrow, too," I said thoughtfully. "And again after that. It sounds like Rainstar's planning a lot of invasions.

"That's bad," Hawkflight said.

I stiffened. I had been so focused on EmberClan that I forgot to be worried.

He added quietly, "You can really hear them talking? I can hear words, but muffled."

"Y-yes," I lied. My hearing was no better than Hawkflight's. Heart starting to race, I forced myself to focus back on the minds of the EmberClan cats.

 _I'm so scared. What if I die? What if my friends die?_

 _I've heard that Lionstar and Palefang are huge. I don't want to have to fight those two, I'd bet._

 _Rainstar really wants to break up the Gathering, does she? This is a bad idea. StarClan will punish us for ruining the truce._

"And also, they're, well, uh, they want to attack during the Gathering," I said.

Hawkflight's eyes widened. "We have to tell Lionstar."

I quickly tore away from the EmberClan cat's thoughts. "Let's hurry then. I, um, just, I don't think, well, I bet that we won't find anything else here."

 _Stupid Dappledpaw!_ I chided myself. _You sound like an idiot, always repeating yourself and using too many fillers._ But Hawkflight didn't seem to care. He started back to camp quietly.

 _So,_ I said to myself, trying to get my mind off of Hawkflight, _what all information have I gotten?_ They were planning lots of invasions, early in the morning and one at the Gathering. One of the EmberClan cats seemed to be the father of Grayfeather's kits- I was unsure what to dow tih that information. And none of them seemed very happy about this war.

Pressure seemed to gather on my shoulders, pressure to end the war and finally create peace for EmberClan and IceClan, all by myself. I shook my head slightly.

"Hmm?" Hawkflight said, glancing at me.

"Nothing." I always felt like things were awkward between me and Hawkflight, and I could tell neither of us liked it. We wanted to be able to talk easily, but he didn't know me that well and although I could read his mind, I was too afraid to bring up anything even if I knew he'd react positively. If I ever wanted to be able to talk to Hawkflight, I had to be braver.

I spent a few moments bracing myself. Finally, "What do you think about that new kind of bird Lionstar wants us to hunt?"

"That weird eagle thing?" Hawkflight asked. "I think it's a waste of time. Those things are so hard to hunt."

"Still, I mean, uh, they're pretty big," I said. "One of those is going to feed a lot of cats."

He smiled. "One time, I got one off the fresh-kill pile to eat. It was so big, I had to get my siblings to help me finish it! It took all four of us, and we were stuffed by the end. Still, in the middle of a war as big as this one, we can't spare than much energy hunting them."

"Fair enough," I said. "And they're dangerous, really, even for cats who aren't weak from wounds." A warm feeling blossomed up in my chest. I had started a conversation! With Hawkflight!

We continued to talk for a while, until finally Hawkflight said, "Look, there's the camp. We got here before the EmberClan cats did."

"Oh, yeah," I said. Mentally, I checked in with the EmberClan patrol. It was hard to tell anything from the distance, but I managed to get from a dark green aura that they were almost there, but an apprentice had been injured on the way and they had to stop for a moment to recollect. I shuddered as I thought of what might've happened if the apprentice wasn't injured, and EmberClan had beaten us to camp.

"Dappledpaw? Hawkflight? Why are you back so early, and without the rest of the patrol?" Snowflame asked. I glanced up at her. She was playing with Grayfeather's kits.

 _Those aren't IceClan kits,_ I thought to myself. _Their father is EmberClan._ Looking at them, I could tell that their pelts weren't filling in like a longhaired EmberClan cat's should.

"-heard them trespassing. They're coming to attack EmberClan camp!" Hawkflight explained.

 _Dappledpaw!_ I scolded myself. I was much too spacey, always getting lost in my thoughts.

"Did they see you?" Snowflame said.

Hawkflight shook his head and gave me a warm look. "We were lucky. The wind was blowing south, so even though we couldn't smell them, they couldn't smell us, either. And Dappledpaw's super stealthy! She was as silent as a mouse out there!"

Snowflame turned and searched the camp with her gaze. "Palefang and Junipercloud are hunting. Lionstar took a patrol into the mountains with Frozenwhisker and Tawnyfur."

"And Duststorm, Spiderfur, and Silverheart are still on the border patrol," Hawkflight said. "That leaves Nightclaw, Hailclaw, Sparrowpelt, Grayfeather, and Poppytail...?"

"Nightclaw's sorting herbs in his den, Hailclaw and Sparrowpelt are fortifying the camp, and Grayfeather and Poppytail are napping," Snowflame said.

"Would Grayfeather be up for fetching the patrols out of camp?" Hawkflight asked.

"Probably," Snowflame said. "I'll fetch her. What about the other cats?"

"Nightclaw should prepare to heal the injured. Hailclaw and Sparrowpelt should start planning to ambush the EmberClan patrol. And Poppytail should probably guard the nursery." Hawkflight turned to me. "You should try to track down the EmberClan patrol, since you're so good at being quiet. I'll go with Grayfeather."

A few moments later, Snowflame came back to us, Grayfeather close behind. Despite the fact that her fur was messy with sleep, there was no drowsiness to her eyes. She was fully awake and alert.

"What's going on?" Hailclaw called. "What are you doing back so early?" He and Sparrowpelt padded towards us.

"EmberClan's attacking!" Hawkflight exclaimed.

Hawkflight and Snowflame quickly explained. "You two should get ready to ambush them, then," Hawkflight finished. "We'll be back soon."

Hailclaw nodded. "Good job, Hawkflight. I'm sure Lionstar will give you an apprentice once he hears of this."

"Let's get going," Hawkflight said. "Dappledpaw... Good luck. Please be safe."

I smiled weakly. "C'mon, Hawkflight, have I ever t-taken a risk in my life?"

He didn't laugh. "I don't care if you're the best spy in all the four Clans. I want you to be safe."

I skimmed the surface of his mind. His thoughts mirrored his words; he was afraid of what might happen to me. Sudden fear sparked my chest.

Was this enough? Would reporting back to IceClan stop something awful from happening? ...Or was IceClan about to see tragedy?


	11. Ten: Ambush

_I can't wait to rip those scrawny IceClan cats apart. They will feel my claws!_

I tucked my paws further in, praying that they wouldn't see me. I jumped every time an EmberClan warrior's ear twitched, every time someone blinked or glanced in my direction. _This shouldn't be that hard,_ I tried to tell myself. I just had to gather information on the EmberClan patrol as they made their way to camp.

 _Are we almost there yet?_

 _Ugh, the air reeks of IceClan._

 _What if I get hurt? What if my friends get hurt?_

 _I wonder if Dappledpaw will be here._ That was Heatherleaf. I latched onto her calm thoughts, letting go of all of the other cats' minds. _Poor cat. She's so young, and Lantana is tormenting her every night._ Heatherleaf's shoulders slouched. _Smokecloud would be able to help her. Smokecloud would know what to do._ There was an image of a gray cat with a black tail-tip, and a twinge of longing in Heatherleaf's thoughts.

I probed her subconscious. _She's made it clear on the outside that she's over Smokecloud,_ I guessed, _but she's really not on the inside._

I snapped my head. _Stupid!_ I scolded myself. _You're supposed to be gathering information information for IceClan's sake, not snooping on Heatherleaf. Every cat will hate you if you have nothing to report when you return._ Just thinking about it made icy fear grip my chest. What would they say? What would they think about the information I gathered?

 _Dappledpaw. Focus._

Just as I was getting back on task, four IceClan warriors came flinging their way towards the EmberClan patrol. A spike of fear surged up in everyone's thoughts. I could see Hailclaw, Sparrowpelt, Palefang, and Junipercloud running straight into battle and clawing at the EmberClan warriors. Duststorm, Spiderfur, Silverheart, Hawkflight, Snowflame, and Grayfeather were close behind. As the two Clans started to fight, I cautiously came out of my hiding place. No one had seen me. I took a deep breath and dove for an EmberClan apprentice.

 _You've got to fight, Dappledpaw. Everyone will hate you if you don't!_

I dodged the apprentice's thrashing paws, ducked, and dove underneath her, knocking her over. As soon as she was on the ground, I grabbed her with my paws and tried to pin her down, but before I could do so, the apprentice flashed her fangs and scrambled just out of reach. Within moments she was twisting around, striking, and leaping back like a snake, moving too fast for me to track. I let out a helpless shriek.

 _Useless useless useless useless..._ I dove to the side, but the apprentice followed and slashed my shoulder before I could move away.

 _What is everyone going to think?_ The panic clenching my chest hurt more than any wound. _They'll see me as an awful fighter! I_ am _an awful fighter! Everybody will hate me and then what will I do?_

A loud yowl echoed across the plains. Lionstar, Frozenwhisker, Tawnyfur sprinted into the battlefield. I blinked as Tawnyfur came hurtling towards me and slammed into my attacker. Suddenly the apprentice didn't seem quite as fierce.

There were so many cats here, even more than had been in the last battle with EmberClan, that I was starting to get overwhelmed. I was almost choking on my own fear. The cats' minds were starting to crowd in, I couldn't let go, I couldn't calm myself down, I had failed everyone, I was freaking out, I couldn't take this, I couldn't take this, _I couldn't take this-_

I started to run, not even knowing which direction I was going. I just had to get out of there. Blindly I entered the mountains, and blindly I sprinted and climbed through the cliffs. I was panicking. I could only think about getting away from there as fast as possible.

At one point the rock ledge I was standing on crumbled, and I fell into a thin chasm. I could see an easy path out, but I didn't move. I stayed on the ground, trying to calm my hysterical breathing. Returning to IceClan would be awful. Cats would why I had run away, and I would have to answer, and what would I even say? That I was a wimp and couldn't handle being near a few cats? A lump formed in my throat.

This little chasm was calming to me for some reason, and I soon regained control of my breath. For one, there was no other cats, at least not close enough for me to sense their auras. And for two, there was an odd kind of natural power here. The moon, which I had hardly been able to see before, seemed to be shining as bright in the sky as the sun. The chasm was filled with golden light. For several moments, I just sat there with my eyes closed, listening to the birdsong.

A soft voice jolted me out of my thoughts. "Dappledpaw? Are you there?"

I blinked. The world came crashing back down to me.

It was Hawkflight.


	12. Eleven: Source of Power

"Dappledpaw? Don't ignore me. I'm not trying to be nosy, I just wanted to see where you went."

His dark head poked out from behind a rock, and his concerned expression into a relieved one when he saw my face. "Oh, thank StarClan. I was worried about you."

I couldn't meet his eyes. "You didn't have to be. I'm fine. I can take care of myself." _Sort of. Really, I just don't want to interact or speak with anyone at all._

"I'm not trying to take care of you," he said. "I'm being a friend. I'm your friend, right?"

How did I respond to that? My heart started to beat a little faster, and my ears flattened in embarrassment. _Dappledpaw, you idiot, he probably hates you now. You ran away and didn't explain anything and shot him down and now you won't even say that he's your friend._ Images flashed in my mind. I could picture myself clawing myself, tearing the fur off, watching myself bleed with satisfaction. _I deserve pain._

 _Stop._

 _Slow down._

 _Don't let him know how much you're freaking out._

 _Don't think you need to cut yourself to feel in control._

"Right," I said with a deep breath. "Well, thanks, anyway."

Hawkflight smiled. "Are you ready to come back?'

I shook my head quickly. _No no no no no no no no CALM DOWN DAPPLEDPAW-_ "Uh, not yet. At l-least tell me what, um, happened in the battle first."

Hawkflight grimaced. "Ugh, it was such a close fight- EmberClan were shredding us to pieces! But we managed to drive them off eventually. I spoke with Lionstar for a few minutes, about the upcoming invasions and the Gathering and everything. He should be in the camp now, planning with Frozenwhisker." Hawkflight reached over and brushed a leaf off my pelt with his nose. "I came here after that, as soon as I could. Cats were starting to worry about you."

 _I don't believe that._ I scanned his mind and had a flash of Snowflame, Thornpaw, and Swiftpaw asking Hawkflight if he had seen me since the battle started. Somebody had actually noticed I was gone?

"There was no reason to, um, worry about me," I said. "...I mean..."

He said nothing, but his eyes seemed to be blazing. _There's_ definitely _reason to worry about you, Dappledpaw,_ he thought. _I don't want to see you hurt. There's no cat like you, not in any of the Clans._

I felt suddenly uncomfortable and squirmy. And yet a part of me didn't want this moment to ever end.

Hawkflight sighed after a few moments. "Let's hurry back, Dappledpaw." His voice was almost sad. "Lionstar doesn't like to worry bout losing his cats, and the longer we stay here, the worse trouble we'll be in."

"True," I said. I shakily got to my paws. Fear quickly washed over me at the prospect of going back.

 _Calm down._

 _Relax._

 _You can do this._

I glanced over at Hawkflight, at his thick brown pelt and splash of white along his chest and jaws.

 _Hawkflight believes in you._

I looked at the rocky hills and cliffs leading to the IceClan camp, and then back at the rising peaks to the northwest. At the camp, there were more than a dozen cats- cats who were judging and angry, cats I'd freak out just trying to talk to. They'd think about me and form opinions about me and I'd _influence their lives_ and I wasn't ready for any of that.

But deeper into the mountains, it was peaceful. There weren't any cats; the only animals there couldn't understand me at all and wouldn't judge me when I acted like an idiot. And it was quiet and serene. I could just imagine the sound of the wind, the drifting snow, the feel of smooth rock against my paws. And that natural power I had felt earlier... something told me it was much stronger deeper into the mountains, and I had to go there and find its source.

But I needed to go back now. I had to accept whatever punishment I got from running away from the battle.

I blinked. But what would happen if I came back? If I started looking for the source of the power, alone in the mountains and at peace with myself?  
What would happen if I left IceClan, for good this time?


End file.
